Delighted Burchell claims Stratford double
IT was an evening of double delight for Ebbw Vale trainer Dai Burchell and jockey Robbie Dunne at Stratford on Tuesday, as One For The Boss and Cruchain landed the meeting’s two most valuable races.
The afternoon rain had given way to sunshine as the runners went out for highlight of the evening, the Class 3 Sheppard Family Handicap Chase (for the Gay, Eve And Tim Sheppard Memorial Cup) over an extended two miles and three furlongs.
Despite not having run for 516 days, Notarfbad was the subject of a sustained gamble from 5-1 to 3-1, before easing to 100-30, but, after showing prominently, he faded and was pulled up before the last fence.
Up front, it was One For The Boss, a winner at Newton Abbot earlier this month, who defied a 13lb rise in the weights to hold off the challenge of Somchine over the last two fences and deny jockey Andrew Thornton a winner on his only ride of the evening.
Thornton, who is in his 26 season, came into the meeting only four short of his target of 1,000 career wins. He has had just two victories from 22 rides at Stratford over the previous five seasons and Somchine couldn’t improve on that record and edge him nearer his goal.
Earlier, veteran Cruchain showed great fighting spirit to deny favourite Play The Ace, six years his junior, in a ding-dong battle up the home straight to land the jollyodds.com Bet Calculator Handicap Chase.
Jamie Moore, substituting for the injured Sean Bowen, had taken Play The Ace into the lead at the third fence and they looked to have all their rivals struggling from halfway.
But, Dunne wasn’t giving up on Cruchain and the 13 year-old came to lead at the final fence and run on strongly to record first win since last July.
Deauville Dancer was a facile winner of the opening 17th of July Is Ladies Day Maiden Hurdle, taking over from long-time leader Ross Kitty as the field turned out of the back straight and going further away from his rivals with every stride to provide Worcestershire trainer David Dennis with his fifth winner of the season.
Former top jockey Willie Carson saw his colours carried to victory in the EPDS Racing Welfare BTO Series Handicap Hurdle when his home-bred mare May Hay, ridden by Paddy Brennan, defied top-weight of 12-1 to record back-to-back victories, beating Marley Joe by three and a quarter lengths.
She completed a double on the day for trainer Anthony Carson, who was also successful at Brighton during the afternoon with Curious Fox.
There was another gamble in the Racing Welfare Stable Staff Week Handicap Hurdle when GrayWolf River, trained at Edgcote near Banbury by Ben Case, was backed from 10-1 to 7-1 to make a winning debut for the stable.
She led at a good pace until the penultimate flight where Stan Sheppard sent Derrychrin to the front, setting up what proved to be an unassailable lead, coming home 14 lengths clear of favourite Red Orator.
Six runners set out in the closing Bordeaux Undiscovered Standard National Hunt Flat Race, but there was only one in it at the end, as amateur jockey James King brought 23,000 euro purchase Sam Noir home the easiest of winners to give trainer Peter Bowen some compensation for the earlier defeat of Play The Ace.
